Esmeralda Topi
Last fall, the Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku, declared that the first 6 kilometers of the Tirana-Durres highway expansion would be opened to traffic by December 2025. The segment from Casa Italia to the Kashari overpass, according to her, would be converted into a type A highway, with a width of 32.5 meters, three lanes on each side and an emergency lane.
“The progress of the project is very good. So, the first phase is 65% complete and the second phase is 85%. That is, we hope to have it delivered by the end of the year holidays,” declared Balluku.
The road connecting Tirana to Durrës is 38 km long. Works on its expansion began in September 2024. According to the contract, the expansion of the Tirana-Durrës road in the first 6 kilometers will be completed this September.
But right from the start, the responsible minister claimed completion before the official deadline.
Fact
Time has proven that the work on the ground goes beyond the government’s optimistic expectations. The first 6 kilometers of the road connecting the capital with Durrës were not finished by the end of the year. And ironically, earlier this year, 16% of the road that should have been open to traffic became impassable.
The Tirana-Durres road was flooded on January 6th due to heavy rainfall and authorities diverted vehicles to other directions.
The photos show the state of the expansion of the Tirana-Durres highway during the verification day by Faktoje , on January 15. The view shows that part of the segment is still under construction, with active construction vehicles and unfinished areas, while vehicle traffic is partially underway.
According to the Albanian Road Authority (ARRSH), the full opening of the first 6 km of the road became impossible because the segment of the bridge near the “Eiffel Tower” remained unfinished.
“The deadline for the completion of the contract “Expansion of the Tirana – Durrës expressway (Phase I)” is 24.05.2026, while for Phase II it is 15 September 2026.” – explains ARRSH to Faktoje.
Phase III, which includes the overpass of Kashar and Laknas, began on October 9, 2025 and has a completion deadline of 18 months.
But the deadlines risk being violated due to expropriations.
“Factors that may influence are the expropriation process that has not yet been completed,” ARRSH tells Faktoje.
Conclusion
The expansion of the Tirana-Durres highway is one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country, costing 218 million euros, but so far it has produced more unfulfilled promises than kilometers delivered. Statements about the opening of the first 6 km in December 2025 were not realized, while contractual deadlines indicate that the works will be completed in May of this year.
Based on the verifications carried out and the information collected, we categorize Minister Belinda Balluku’s statement that the first 6 km of the Tirana-Durres road will be opened to traffic at the end of December as untrue.
